Courtesy Kansas City CVB
Walking through the Power and Light District, an eight-square-block, $850 million development in downtown Kansas City, it would be easy to think of the entire city as new, hip, trendy and upscale. And although the Power and Light District may be the destination’s latest bragging point, visitors to Kansas City will find a wealth of attractions that celebrate both the past and the present.
Shoppers, diners and revelers are right at home in the Power and Light District or at one of several other Kansas City hotspots. History buffs will be fascinated by the artifacts on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum and the National World War I Museum. And just outside of town, Powell Gardens provides a getaway for nature lovers.
Bustling neighborhoods
Since its debut in 2008, the Power and Light District has been the darling of downtown Kansas City. This complex includes numerous local bars and restaurants, as well as some national chains and a number of theaters and attractions, such as the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Shopping is a great daytime activity in the district.
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| Courtesy Kansas City CV |
“There are a lot of local boutiques,” said Derek Klaus, director of communications for the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “One is called the Garment District, which features eight boutiques under one roof.”
Also downtown, the Crown Center has long been a favorite Kansas City shopping destination. The complex is home to Hallmark Cards and features a Hallmark museum that groups can tour. Other highlights include a chocolatier, a Crayola store and a Broadway-style live theater.
Another shopping highlight in Kansas City is the Country Club Plaza, a district near downtown that was designed with mosaics, fountains and other architectural touches to remind visitors of Seville, Spain.
“It was built in 1920 as the nation’s first outdoor shopping center,” Klaus said. “It has more than $1 million of outdoor art like fountains, sculptures and paintings.”
Historical finds
Kansas City was once an important stop for riverboats hauling merchandise on the Missouri River. At the Arabia Steamboat Museum, visitors can get a look at a wide breadth of commercial items from the 1850s that were remarkably preserved in a shipwreck.
The steamboat Arabia sank outside of Kansas City in 1856; in the 1980s and 1990s, a team of local men found the boat and excavated it, along with a shipload of artifacts.
“They started opening boxes and barrels, and what they found was incredible,” said Erin Davies, a guide at the museum. “It was everything you would need to survive winter on the frontier in the 1850s.”
The museum showcases some of the many items found in the wreckage, among them clothes, shoes, tableware, construction tools and millions of small beads and buttons. Groups can meet with experts at the museum and watch as they work on some of the thousands of artifacts still awaiting restoration.
History buffs traveling in Kansas City should also make sure to visit the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. Opened in 2006, the museum uses historic artifacts, extensive interpretive exhibits and multimedia presentations to honor the Americans who fought in Europe during the “Great War.”
A country garden
A short drive outside of the City, Powell Gardens gives groups an opportunity to enjoy the natural Missouri landscape and numerous plants that grow there.
“The gardens are all laid out in the shape of Missouri and Kansas heritage quilts,” said Jill Draper, marketing assistant at the gardens. “We have over 2,000 varieties of edible fruit plants.”
On a tour, visitors will see a number of small fruit orchards, as well as a prairie garden with plants that grow naturally in the area. One of the favorite areas is an island garden that guests must reach by crossing a pedestrian bridge. The island garden features a large “living wall” covered with plants, as well as an extensive water garden with water lilies and other plants.
“It’s one of the largest water gardens in the Midwest and the second-largest living wall in the world,” Draper
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Kansas City’s power and light
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St. Louis is a city for the senses
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